Showing posts with label Saks Fifth Avenue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saks Fifth Avenue. Show all posts

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Paradis by Saks Fifth Avenue c1982

Paradis by Saks Fifth Avenue: launched in 1982. Paradis was Sak's own private label perfume, which they claimed was created to be a reflection of Saks Fifth Avenue and the Saks Fifth Avenue woman. This is not the first time that a department store launched their own fragrance line, Neiman Marcus brought out Volage and NM, Bloomingdales had it's Bloomie's.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Tresor de la Mer by Lalique for Saks Fifth Avenue c1939

In 1939, Saks Fifth Avenue celebrated the 50th anniversary of the opening of their department store, which had opened in 1889. To herald this achievement, in 1936, they commissioned a special perfume bottle to be created by master craftsman, Rene Lalique.


Lalique answered the call with a fabulous perfume flacon in the shape of a pearl, hidden inside an giant sea shell box, called the Tresor de la Mer, or Treasure of the Sea.


The opalescent glass object was only made in a limited edition of just 100 examples. The original retail price of this flacon was $50. The clear and frosted opalescent crystal shell was made in hues of oceanic blues and fiery oranges which seemed to glow from within. The giant shell rested on molded aquatic plants and parting waves. Inside, is little spherical perfume flacon rested. The top and bottom of the shell are connected by metal hinges. The shell bottle was presented inside a red velvet presentation box that was lined in gold silk and blue velvet.


The gorgeous perfume presentation was to be shown at the Rene Lalique exhibit at the Saks Fifth Avenue store. Today fewer than three known complete presentations still exist, they are considered rare and holy grails of Lalique perfume bottle collecting.


The most recent example sold for a whopping $180,000 at David Rago Auctions in 2007 thru an eBay live auction.


The presentation is documented in the Marcilhac book on page 949, and in the book Lalique Perfume Bottles by Glenn & Mary Lou Utt.


In 1938, Stage magazine mentioned the flacon:
"Tresor de la Mer, an exclusive Saks V perfume, at $50 an ounce, seems a good idea. It comes in a round pearl- shaped Lalique phial, inside a large Lalique silver-hinged oyster, hurried in a plush container. Such goings-on!"



It is worth noting that an equally rarer bottle was also made for tresor de la Mer, this time it is an oval bottle made up of opalescent glass and molded with a scallop shell pattern. It is topped with a round, disk shaped, opalescent glass stopper molded with gadrooning. The bottle stands 6 1/2". and is fitted with a metallic label towards the bottom of the bottle. This bottle was not made by Lalique but may have been made by Sabino.



Saturday, January 24, 2015

We Moderns by Saks Fifth Avenue c1928

We Moderns was created expressly for Saks Fifth Avenue in 1928, other products such as face powder , eau de cologne, talcum powder, face powder, bath powder, bath oil and bath salts were also introduced.

Jean Dupas (1882-1964) created a lovely poster for We Moderns perfume. Photo by International Poster Center.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Collecting Opalescent Glass Commercial Perfume Bottles

Perhaps the most loveliest of all opaque colors is the ethereal opalescent examples.

Julien Viard produced two fine examples for Caron's Isadora and Parfum Precieux both in 1910.


Parfum Precieuse by Caron , perfume bottle in opalescent amber glass, molded label, with matching scarab stopper. Measures 6" long.


















Tresor de la Mer by Saks: Rare perfume presentation for Saks Fifth Ave, "Tresor de la Mer," circa 1939, special edition limited to fifty examples, a powder box in opalescent glass, holds a frosted glass perfume bottle (recreated from the one known existing original). Stenciled R. LALIQUE. 4".








Another bottle was created to hold the Tresor de la Mer perfume in a less expensive flacon. This bottle was not made by Lalique and is much larger, but still has the theme of a shell with a pearl shaped stopper.


In 1937, Andre Jollivet designed a gorgeous figural perfume flacon for the Peniston-Brown store in Bermuda. This bottle was in the shape of an angel fish and had a black glass base molded with geometric Art Deco motifs. It stands 4 1/2" tall. Marked "A. Jollivet France" on base
















Caron's 1939 perfume Voeu de Noel came in a gorgeous opalescent flacon molded with flowers. Manufactured by Cristalleries de Romesnil. Stands 3 3/4" tall.




















Lancome introduced "Melisande" in 1954, a beautiful figural bottle of a standing lady made up of pink tinted opalescent glass. This luxury  presentation was used for various perfumes and was designed by Georges Delhomme.


















In 1958, Lancome introduced the Georges Delhomme designed "Spoutnik", in a limited edition presentation of a blue tinted opalescent glass moon faced purse flacon for the perfume Magie. This bottle was also used for other perfumes.













Lancome also introduced a crescent moon shaped flacon, also known as "Spoutnik" with a smiling face also in blue tinted opalescent glass attached to a cobalt glass base, this was a limited edition of only 100 examples and was used for various perfumes.


















If you love the look of opalescent glass perfumes, you may wish to explore further into these names; Sabino, Chamart, Waltersperger, Duncan and Miller, Portieux Vallerysthal, Fry, Lalique, M. Model, Sevres, and Fenton. All made gorgeous opalescent flacons sold without perfume so that you could add your own.



Welcome!

This is not your average perfume blog. In each post, I present perfumes or companies as encyclopedic entries with as much facts and photos as I can add for easy reading and researching without all the extraneous fluff or puffery.

Please understand that this website is not affiliated with any of the perfume companies written about here, it is only a source of reference. I consider it a repository of vital information for collectors and those who have enjoyed the classic fragrances of days gone by. Updates to posts are conducted whenever I find new information to add or to correct any errors.

One of the goals of this website is to show the present owners of the various perfumes and cologne brands that are featured here how much we miss the discontinued classics and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back these fragrances!

Please leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the fragrance, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or what occasion, any specific memories, what it reminded you of, maybe a relative wore it, or you remembered seeing the bottle on their vanity table, did you like the bottle design), who knows, perhaps someone from the company brand might see it.

Also, if you have any information not seen here, please comment and share with all of us.

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